just got shipping notification. Yes, the final volume is finally here, or at least on it's way, almost 23 years after the first book came out. I guess I'd better get cracking on re-reading the first part of the series and finally reading the last 5 books that have been sitting around after I vowed not to read anymore of the series until it was finished.

« Last Edit: January 30, 2013, 07:42:14 PM by CeeKay »

Logged

Because I can,also because I don't care what you want.XBL: OriginalCeeKayWii U: CeeKay

It's higher fantasy than Martin. Spells are slung on a regular basis and the plot revolves around the magic, who can use it, who shouldn't, and the release of the most evil of evils into the world.

There's lots of interpersonal drama with a high level of male/female conflict and caricatures, which tends to drive most readers batty at one time or another. There is much skirt-smoothing, braid-tugging, and arm-crossing to be had. If you're familiar with Martin:

Spoiler for Hiden:

Think of every young male/female relationship having their own, "You know nothing, Jon Snow" moments on a regular basis.

What would you compare it to? Tolkien or Martin or is it it's own beast?

For me the Wheel of Time setting is enough like Lord of the Rings minus fantasy races that it seems analogous to it. For some reason his writing doesn't quite work for me and I found it at times awkward. I read the 1st 2 books of the series, but didn't feel compelled to read any further. What works for me in his writing is his world building and attention to detail, which is often excellent. Many people enjoy the series though, so I'd recommend at least giving the Eye of the World a read.

What would you compare it to? Tolkien or Martin or is it it's own beast?

I would put Wheel of Time kind of in the middle of these two. It doesnt have the elf/dwarf/hobbit race thing, its focused around humans. It does have the shadowy big bad like Tolkien though. Instead of the internal conflicts focused on races, its more focused on the sexes. One of the biggest knocks on the series is that the ploy slows to a crawl in the middle books. This was far more evident when you were waiting a couple of years for the next book but most people have found that on a reread it flows much better. Overall, its a good series and worth reading.

I just finished the book I was working on last week, and am now starting a read of the full Wheel of Time series (probably with a break or two in the middle for something different). I have never read any of them before, so hopefully I will enjoy it and will keep you posted on my Goodreads page.

The only thing that really bugs me is the first 2-3 chapters, as the re-explain EVERYTHING.

That, and tugging braids. If you were to stop smoothing skirts and tugging your braid, this series would lose 3 volumes. Ah well. I find the characters compelling, and Jordan did a great job of creating societies before creating characters, including history and backstory.

« Last Edit: January 08, 2013, 05:45:40 PM by Purge »

Logged

"If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners." - Johnny Carson

I love (and hate) the Wheel of Time for all the same reasons other fans love (and hate) the Wheel of Time. The first 6 books are awesome, but after that things slow down a lot. I did however, think book 9 was much better than books 7 or 8. (I can't remember the titles anymore.) I started reading this around 20 years ago when I was a freshman in college. I think at the time there were 2 or 3 books out. Book 4 came out shortly after I finished reading the first 3 (within a couple years I think). With the release of books 5 - 11 I always reread the entire series in anticipation of the new books' releases. I found this to be pretty much required or I would never be able to keep up with the millions of characters who keep hanging around through these books. After book 11, I was fed up with this so I decided I was done with WoT until the final book came out - which happened today. So I haven't yet read the Sanderson books.

Today I begin re-reading the series so I can then buy the last 3 books. After I finish I plan to take a couple decades off from the series. Having said that, I am excited to see how it all ends.

0. New Spring1. The Eye of the World2. The Great Hunt3. The Dragon Reborn4. The Shadow Rising5. The Fires of Heaven6. Lord of Chaos7. A Crown of Swords8. The Path of Daggers9. Winter's Heart10. Crossroads of Twilight11. Knife of Dreams12. The Gathering Storm13. Towers of Midnight14. A Memory of Light

I would call New Spring an optional thing and not required reading. I definitely wouldn't start with New Spring since it will spoil things in the first book at least. I think it was intended to be read by people after reading the first few books.

From the titles above, it seems that I misremembered -- it's actually the last 4 books, not 2, that was pretty good. So you have to slog through 4 crappy books, which doesn't sound so bad without the waiting between books

Quote from: JCC on January 08, 2013, 07:21:04 PM

I would call New Spring an optional thing and not required reading. I definitely wouldn't start with New Spring since it will spoil things in the first book at least. I think it was intended to be read by people after reading the first few books.

I actually thought New Spring sucked, even though it seems many liked it. Dunno.

I would call New Spring an optional thing and not required reading. I definitely wouldn't start with New Spring since it will spoil things in the first book at least. I think it was intended to be read by people after reading the first few books.

I'd say wait until after book 10, since that is when it was fully fleshed out and released as a stand alone book.

looking at the publishing dates is seems that when he started taking more than a year to release the books is where the quality slipped:

looking at the publishing dates is seems that when he started taking more than a year to release the books is where the quality slipped:...

That makes sense actually, because something I'd read about Jordan was that he was a crunch writer. I'd read that he once wrote a novel in in just 2 weeks time! I think it was his 1st Conan novel (Conan the Invincible) but I'm not 100% sure about that being the specific book. Even the Eye of the World and The Hunt being written in the same year is pretty damn remarkable considering the page count of those 2 together. For those types of writer, having the opportunity to take their time often doesn't translate into good results.

I believe Jordan wrote the first three books as one book. So he would have had a 2 year lead going into book 4. That's a pretty comfortable cushion.

That would have been one long ass book.

and then we might still have another 13 after it

His time was finite. I recall him stating after book seven or eight that he had everything wrapped up storywise, and he could end it in one book. So for him, he was simply fleshing it out at every step.

Logged

"If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners." - Johnny Carson

so, the book looks pretty. having a hard time resisting the urge to read the last page

No kidding! I am even avoiding looking at chapter titles at the beginning of the book. I I even suspect there is a spoiler on a forum I don't even look at the thread.

I have read the first 100 pages and stuff is happening fast but I'm reminded, again, that Sanderson is a very good writer but he doesn't have the same skill as Jordan. You can whine about skirt smoothing and braid tugging all you want but with a series that is this size, Jordan did an amazing job of having unique traits, no matter how annoying.

Did anyone see all the negative reviews on amazon just because there is no ebook? Lame.

so, the book looks pretty. having a hard time resisting the urge to read the last page

No kidding! I am even avoiding looking at chapter titles at the beginning of the book. I I even suspect there is a spoiler on a forum I don't even look at the thread.

I have read the first 100 pages and stuff is happening fast but I'm reminded, again, that Sanderson is a very good writer but he doesn't have the same skill as Jordan. You can whine about skirt smoothing and braid tugging all you want but with a series that is this size, Jordan did an amazing job of having unique traits, no matter how annoying.

Did anyone see all the negative reviews on amazon just because there is no ebook? Lame.

I loved Jordan, I love the setting and I loved the series but I will continue to whine about the skirt smoothing and braid tugging. Honestly though when you look at 14 books and over 3.5 million words it wasn't used all that much. I did a quick check and braid was only used 47 times in book 9 I'm going to miss the series.

The no eBook thing until April is completely stupid though. It was a huge mistake, the publisher should not have listened to the widow who doesn't understand the new medium and it will cost both of them quite a bit of money in the short run. It is already available on the main sites in multiple formats and every one of those downloaded is at least a potential loss of a $20 sale.

so, the book looks pretty. having a hard time resisting the urge to read the last page

No kidding! I am even avoiding looking at chapter titles at the beginning of the book. I I even suspect there is a spoiler on a forum I don't even look at the thread.

I have read the first 100 pages and stuff is happening fast but I'm reminded, again, that Sanderson is a very good writer but he doesn't have the same skill as Jordan. You can whine about skirt smoothing and braid tugging all you want but with a series that is this size, Jordan did an amazing job of having unique traits, no matter how annoying.

Did anyone see all the negative reviews on amazon just because there is no ebook? Lame.

I loved Jordan, I love the setting and I loved the series but I will continue to whine about the skirt smoothing and braid tugging. Honestly though when you look at 14 books and over 3.5 million words it wasn't used all that much. I did a quick check and braid was only used 47 times in book 9 I'm going to miss the series.

The no eBook thing until April is completely stupid though. It was a huge mistake, the publisher should not have listened to the widow who honestly doesn't understand the new medium and it will cost both of them quite a bit of money in the short run. Honestly it's already available on the main sites in multiple formats and every one of those downloaded is at least a potential loss of a $20 sale.

I just finished reading A Memory of Light. This is my favorite book in the entire series. Remember the scene where the Asha'aman kick butt at Dumai's Wells? The whole book is basically like that. Everyone kicking all sorts of ass all over the place.

Almost? Storage costs next to nothing, duplication costs next to nothing, transmitting costs next to nothing, and you can easily put up infinite copies anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds.

To not release a ebook version the same day a hard cover comes out is just stupid. Period. There will be a scanned copy up on the interwebs somewhere in a day at most if they don't. Always.

I've long thought that they should have hardcover versions come with a token for an e-book copy. They want more people paying the hard cover premium, right? And it doesn't cost the publisher anything more. Pretty much the same concept as what Amazon just did with physical CDs and the e-library.

Almost? Storage costs next to nothing, duplication costs next to nothing, transmitting costs next to nothing, and you can easily put up infinite copies anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds.

To not release a ebook version the same day a hard cover comes out is just stupid. Period. There will be a scanned copy up on the interwebs somewhere in a day at most if they don't. Always.

Yes, but people can't go down to kinkos and photocopy a book - while I'm sure there is a counterbalance, I'm sure that ebooks have a much higher piracy rate, and staggering the ebook release is probably for that very reason. It could also be due to honoring the wishes of either Jordan's widow, or his own wishes in a series spanning over three decades and 14 books.

Logged

"If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners." - Johnny Carson

Almost? Storage costs next to nothing, duplication costs next to nothing, transmitting costs next to nothing, and you can easily put up infinite copies anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds.

To not release a ebook version the same day a hard cover comes out is just stupid. Period. There will be a scanned copy up on the interwebs somewhere in a day at most if they don't. Always.

I've long thought that they should have hardcover versions come with a token for an e-book copy. They want more people paying the hard cover premium, right? And it doesn't cost the publisher anything more. Pretty much the same concept as what Amazon just did with physical CDs and the e-library.

is there anything to stop the buyer from selling or just giving away the hard copy and keeping the digital one?

Logged

Because I can,also because I don't care what you want.XBL: OriginalCeeKayWii U: CeeKay

Almost? Storage costs next to nothing, duplication costs next to nothing, transmitting costs next to nothing, and you can easily put up infinite copies anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds.

To not release a ebook version the same day a hard cover comes out is just stupid. Period. There will be a scanned copy up on the interwebs somewhere in a day at most if they don't. Always.

Yes, but people can't go down to kinkos and photocopy a book - while I'm sure there is a counterbalance, I'm sure that ebooks have a much higher piracy rate, and staggering the ebook release is probably for that very reason. It could also be due to honoring the wishes of either Jordan's widow, or his own wishes in a series spanning over three decades and 14 books.

People don't go down to Kinkos...they have dedicated (and cheap) book scanners now. The full eBook was on the torrents the day of release. I'm personally fine with honoring the wishes of the widow or Jordan...I was just pointing out that it's a massive amount of lost sales especially with the explosion of eBook readers over the past year.

Anyway, the book itself it great so far. It's very quick and everything is moving along at a very brisk pace. No spoilers yet and I'm still a couple days from finishing. Still a little scared when thinking about how it's going to end.

Given that a lot of diehard fans started collecting dead tree versions back in the 90s, it's hard to bookend the series with 11 volumes on the shelf and three in bits on some hard drive somewhere. There are still people that would have loved to pick up an e-book version, and still might, that have been pushed to the dead tree version because of that lack. Not every e-book reader is willing to go pirate just because it might take a few months to get it in the ultimate portable version.

Almost? Storage costs next to nothing, duplication costs next to nothing, transmitting costs next to nothing, and you can easily put up infinite copies anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds.

To not release a ebook version the same day a hard cover comes out is just stupid. Period. There will be a scanned copy up on the interwebs somewhere in a day at most if they don't. Always.

Yes, but people can't go down to kinkos and photocopy a book - while I'm sure there is a counterbalance, I'm sure that ebooks have a much higher piracy rate, and staggering the ebook release is probably for that very reason. It could also be due to honoring the wishes of either Jordan's widow, or his own wishes in a series spanning over three decades and 14 books.

People don't go down to Kinkos...they have dedicated (and cheap) book scanners now. The full eBook was on the torrents the day of release. I'm personally fine with honoring the wishes of the widow or Jordan...I was just pointing out that it's a massive amount of lost sales especially with the explosion of eBook readers over the past year.

Anyway, the book itself it great so far. It's very quick and everything is moving along at a very brisk pace. No spoilers yet and I'm still a couple days from finishing. Still a little scared when thinking about how it's going to end.

The will of Jordan, or his widow, is simply conjecture. It could be something as business-related as the NYT Bestsellers list not factoring in ebook sales.

This is not my decision or Torís decision, but Harrietís. She is uncomfortable with ebooks. Specifically, she worries about ebooks cutting into the hardcover sales. It isnít about money for her, as the monetary difference between the two is negligible here. It is about a worry that her husbandís legacy will be undermined if sales are split between ebooks and hardcovers, preventing the last book of the Wheel of Time from hitting number one on either list. (Many of the bestseller lists are still handling ebooks in somewhat awkward ways.)

As the last books have all hit number one, she doesnít want to risk one of these not hitting number one, and therefore ending the series on a down note. (Even though each Wheel of Time book has sold more than its predecessor, including the ones I have worked on.) I personally feel her worries are unfounded, and have explained that to her, but it is not my choice and I respect her reasoning for the decision. She is just trying to safeguard Robert Jordanís legacy, and feels this is a very important way she needs to do so. After talking about the issue, we were able to move the ebook up from the originally planned one-year delay to instead come out this spring.

The worst part is the lack of an ebook release actually hurts some of the new lists which now have a combined paper/ebook sale total.

As for the book I'm now close to half way through. It's surprising how much has happened and where it's at (considering I'm only half way through). I don't know if I should be worried or excited that there's still half a book left. So far it's been an excellent end to an epic series that I started over 20 years ago when I bought the first over-sized paperback Eye of the World. Can't wait for the new spoilers included thread once people start finishing it